Home detention for WOF fraud

The NZTA has welcomed the sentencing of an ex-inspector for dishonestly accessing the motor-vehicle register and issuing fraudulent warrants of fitness (WOFs).

Diosdado Junior Subayno Pugosa has been given five months’ home detention by North Shore District Court for the offending.

Following a tip-off, an investigation by the transport agency found that between August 20, 2022, and July 24, 2024, Pugosa recorded and issued 94 WOFs for vehicles he hadn’t properly inspected. 

At sentencing on October 30, the judge acknowledged the public-safety concern of Pugosa not properly checking the vehicles before issuing warrants. 

The court decided he needed to be held accountable for the harm done to his employer and the WOF system on which the community depends. 

As soon as the fraud was identified, Pugosa’s vehicle-inspector appointment was suspended and then cancelled by the NZTA, which notes the sentence should serve as a deterrent to others.

The WOFs issued by him were revoked. Affected owners were asked to get new warrants to ensure their vehicles were safe to drive. 

Nicole Botherway, the NZTA’s senior manager – safer vehicles, says: “We take swift action and hold inspectors to account when safety is compromised. 

“A WOF is a general safety check. The consequences of a vehicle not being thoroughly checked and passed as safe to be driven are high. An unsafe vehicle on the road puts the driver, passengers and other road users’ safety at risk.” 

The agency’s safer vehicles team regularly reviews inspecting organisations and inspectors to check compliance. If serious non-compliance is found, it ensures the right regulatory response is applied, including enforcement.